Cinema, Cinema

(Film from Iran) A famous Iranian director, Mohsen Makhmalbaf, makes merriment out of mayhem when more than 5,000 wannabes show up for a casting call for 100 actors advertised in a Tehran newspaper. The mass of hopefuls try to push and shove their way in, and a riot ensues. Makamalbaf suspected it, but this truly confirms his hunch that there is a movie star wish in everyone waiting to pounce, if given the chance. The screen tests are his circus, and he is the circus master. Groups of men and women are separately brought in and tested for a part in Makhmalbafs new film, Salam Cinema. He examines their reasons for wanting to act. He commands one to cry. And another, a mute, he tells her to use her disability. The actors are full of dreams and hopes, especially the women who seek self-expression in a society where men rule. Maani Petgars film documents the documentor, director Mohsen Makhmalbaf, who plays himself and throughout the film comments on his intentions. Makhmalbaf justifies the way in which he conducts the interviews, which he sometimes manipulates , playing on the auditioners wishes and dreams. It is clear from the film and those interviewed that cinema in Iran worldwide cinema is a beloved form of entertainment. Salam Cinema is Makamalbafs homage to Cinemas 100th anniversary. It was screen at the Cannes Film Festival in 1995.
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